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Print Friendly MapThe Indiana Michigan River Valley Trail connects the towns of Niles, MI and Mishawaka, IN via. 17 miles of paved multi-use trails, some of which have their own unique identity. The trail also passes different sites like Notre Dame University as well as more than 15 parks and the four downtown areas of Niles and Roseland, MI and South Bend and Mishawaka, IN.
Indiana Michigan River Valley Trail (Michigan Section) | 5.3 miles:
Riverside Trail (IN) | 3.4 miles:
The Riverside Trail winds along the west bank of the St. Joseph River for just over 3 miles in northern Indiana's South Bend. Several benches along the way allow you to take in the beautiful river views.
At the northern end of the trail, a pedestrian bridge will take you across the river to another trail paralleling Darden Road, which leads to the Lasalle Trail section of the IN-MI River Valley Trail.
Midway, you'll see Pinhook Park across from Riverside Drive; the park has a small lake, playgrounds, fishing spots and places to picnic. North of the park, you'll pass under Interstate 80 and travel through Riverside Park.
The southern end of the trail ends at Brownfield Park, near the intersection of Riverside Drive and Angela Boulevard. North of this trailhead, the trail travels through tree-lined residential areas, passing Keller Park, which offers restrooms, picnic tables, a playground and boat launch.
To connect back to other parts of the main trail, trail users can turn left near the southern end of the trail along S. Angela Blvd. to reach the northern end of the East Bank Trail (IN).
East Bank Trail (IN) | 1.7 miles:
West Bank Walkway | 0.6 miles:
Indiana Michigan River Valley Trail (Michigan Section):
Riverside Trail (IN): Parking is available for the Riverside Trail near Keller Park, 1925 Riverside Dr.
Some areas could use some resurfacing but overall good trail.
I have run all along the St. Joseph River in the South Bend area when visiting . I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this section (riverside trail) was already plowed by 7 am on a Sunday morning (1/13/19) from the previous night’s snowfall. Thank you very much to whichever agency is responsible! You made me so happy!
Enjoyed the urban ride along the river. Will use this trail often!
ok ride but way too short. south bend lags way behind on good bike paths that do not involve street riding.
for a town with so many colleges it is a shame SB is so far behind.
too bad the Pumpkinvine is the only good path in the aera.
We discovered this trail while we were in town for the 2015 Bike the Bend event. Getting to the trail head at Darden Road was an easy ride from our hotel that was located on SR 933, the connection can be easily done with crosswalks with signals and sidewalks and avoiding the traffic of SR 933 and Darden Road.
The trail is well-marked for half-mile increments, and provides many scenic views of the St. Joseph River. The only negative (which was not a major concern) that was present to us was the lack of portable or permanent toilet facilities.
Upon completing the trail, we chose to connect to the Notre Dame campus by using Angela Blvd, which is a wide street with "Share the Road" signs. We highly recommend riding around the beautiful campus, and grabbing lunch at the Eddy Street Commons.
A great addition to the city ride it every chance I get. A lot places to stop and just enjoy the view and take some pictures.
I ran this on a beautiful fall evening very scenic for an urban run.
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